Beauty Must-Have: Chanel Le Blanc Treatment

Research shows that it's uneven skin tone, not wrinkles, that can age you most. This four week innovation may be the solution to erasing years of sun damage. Plus, see all of the past beauty must-haves.

Ultra violet light instigates the production of melanin, skin's natural protector, which is a good thing. However, over time, those cells can go into overdrive, producing too much pigment, plus cumulative damage keeps it in place. What you see in the mirror: from a general uneveness to distinct spots. Chanel debuts the latest edition to their extensive Le Blanc collection with Intenstive Night Brightening Treatment, a four week program that is used nightly. Pearl protein extract gives skin radiance and hydration, while their patented TXC complex as well as the BRS molecule, works to prevent and reverse excess pigment buildup in skin—allowing this month long age defyer to combat the cause of uneven skin tone from every angle.

We asked Amy Wechsler, MD, a NYC-based dermatologist and psychiatrist, to explain why controlling excess melanin may be the key to turning back the clock:

Q: Why can sun damage increase the signs of aging as much, or more so, than fine lines?

A: Uneven skin tone is mostly a consequence of sun damage, which accumulates over years. Uneven skin tone makes skin appear older—it is a combination of brown spots (aka solar lentigos) and extra blood vessels. As sunlight penetrates your skin, it batters your DNA. UVB attacks DNA directly, while UVA also damages skin cells but penetrates even more deeply, and why it's dubbed the silent wrinkler. It goes much deeper than the other rays to cause a delayed tan, delayed wrinkling and even skin cancer. Production of melanocytes, skin's pigment-producing cells, is accelerated by sun damage and makes skin tone uneven, blotchy and spotted.

A: Nothing is more beneficial to protect skin against future damage than use of a broad spectrum sunscreen daily. While skin brightening products like CHANEL Le Blanc Intensive Night Brightening Treatment can lessen excess pigmentation with an over-the-counter active ingredient that is gentle but effective. The TXC molecule regulates melanin overproduction which is responsible for dark spots. Plus, it acts continuously over 12 hours to regulate and normalize melanin production and corrects existing dark spots by targeting the melanosome deep within the skin.